Suction cleaner



Aug'. 19, 1941. D. s. SMELLIE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 14, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 1 e mi mu m J 6 M m 0 0 ATTORNEY Aug, 19,, 19 4i, 11 sM fi2,253,310

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 14,; 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Donald G.dmellie ATTORNEY advantages not heretofore present.

Patented Aug. 19, 1941 SUCTION CLEANER Donald G. Smelli e, Canton, Ohio,assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation'oiOhio Application December 14, 1938, Serial No. 245,608 I 13 Claims.

It is an object of the present invention to provide anew and improvedsuction cleaner. It is 'another object of the invention to provide a newand improved air passageway in a suction cleaner. A furtherobject of theinvention is to provide a new and novel bag and air passageway unit ina, suction cleaner. A further object of the invention is to provide asuction cleaner in which the exhaust air passageway extends upwardlyinto the cleaner bag and is resiliently mounted by a flexible bellows. Astill further object of the invention is to provide a removable bag unitin which an air passageway element comprising a metallic sleeve and asound-absorbing material is positioned within the bag and is resilientlyconnected to the bag ring by a flexible accordion-like element. These.and other more specific objects of the invention will appear uponreading the following specification and claims and upon considering inconnection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which preferred embodiments of thepresent invention are disclosed:

Figure 1 is a side view of a suction cleaner constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section through the bag and air passageway unit at theirpoint of connection to the cleaner body;

Figure 3 is a side view of the cleaner constructed in accordance withthe second preferred embodiment of the invention.

In cleaner operation a large part of the resulting noise is carried fromthe cleaner by the high velocity air stream which is exhausted into thefilter bag. The use of sound-absorbing means to quiet the noise ofcleaner operation and to absorb the sound vibrations in the exhaustedair stream has heretofore received attention in the suction cleanerfield. The resulting constructions, however, have been open to severecriticism in many respects and in the present design a construction hasbeen provided which has It has been found that the noise-creatingvibrations can be cleaner dust bag. In the usual cleaner constructionthe cleaner handle is pivoted to permit theoperator to exert apropelling force with the cleaner at various distances from its body.This movement of the cleaner causes the handle to pivot and, the cleanerbag which is attached at its upper end to the handle, has its angularitychanged ,relative to the cleaner body. The lower end of the cleaner bagis attached to the cleaner body and being of flexible material therelative movement is permissible. With a sound-absorbing unit protrudinginto the cleaner bag, however, which unit includes a rigid member whichwill not bend or flex freely, means must be provided to accommodate thisrelative movement of the cleaner bag relative to the cleaner casing. Inthe cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention thecleaner bag and the sound-absorbing element are formed as a unit whichis attachable to and removable from the cleaner casing as such, whichunit embodies a resilient bendable connection between the bag ring orcollar and the sound-absorbing means.

Referring again to the drawings, and to Figures 1 and 2 in particular inwhich the first embodiment of the invention is disclosed, a modernsuction cleaner is illustrated which is seen to comprise a cleanerincluding a nozzle l which is interiorly connected in a common and wellknown manner by an air passageway 2 to a fan chamber 3 in which is.positioned the suctioncreating fan 4. A rearwardly extending exhaustpassageway 5 from the fan chamber 3 is formed at its rear end with aflange 6 which carries on each side a bag-clamping not 1. The cleanercasing also includes a motor casing 8 which is positioned directly abovethe fan chamber 3 and houses an unshown driving motor for thesuction-creating Ian 4. The cleaner body is movably supported by frontand rear wheels 9 and I0, and, as in the usual cleaner, a pivoted handleII is provided to which the incoming current conductor 12 connects andthrough which the operator can exert a cleaner propelling force. Acurrent-controlling switch I3 is provided on the handle near the upperend thereof by which the operator can control the flow of current to thedriving motor and so the operation of the machine.

The bag and sound absorbing passageway unit, or bag-and-muiiier-unit,which comprises the present invention, is removably attached to thecleaner. It is seen to comprise a fllter or dust bag I 5 the open upperend of which is normally closed by a channel member l6 which is itselfcarried from the upper end of the handle by a coil spring i1. At itslower or inlet end the bag is removably secured to the flange B at therear of exhaust outlet 5 by means of a bag ring or collar i9 which issecured by manually operable clamping nuts 1. A. surrounding simpleclamp secures the bag to the collar. Extending outwardly from the bagcollar I8 is a flexible, bendable accordion-like rubber tube 2| which issufllciently strong to prevent appreciable change in its cross sectionalarea when flexed or bent. To the outer end of tube 2| is secured asound-absorbing passageway or muilier unit comprising a cylindricalmetallic sleeve 23 which is lined with a sound-absorbing material 24 ofsponge rubber, wood fiber or similar sound-absorption material. Theinner end of sleeve 23 is doubled back upon itself to clamp the lining24 in place. The dust bag [5 is also secured to the outer end of thetube 2| by a second clamp 25, similar to the clamp 20, which encirclesthe bag adjacent the outer end of the tube 2| and clamps therebetweenthe inner end of the sleeve 23.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings in particular the secondpreferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and conforms in allparticulars to the first embodiment with the exception that the fllterbag does not extend forwardly over the accordion-like tube 2| and isinstead connected to its collar i9 through the tube. The functionalrelationship is the same in the two embodiments.

In the operation of the suction cleaner embodying the present inventionas the cleaner is propelled over the floor-in the operation, thesuction-creating fan draws cleaning air through the cleaner nozzle incontact with the surface covering undergoing cleaning, which air removestoreign material from the covering. The foreignmaterial-laden air isthen drawn through the cleaner and exhausted by the fan from the exhaustoutlet 5 into the bag unit. The air traverses the bag collar, theaccordion-like tube, the sound-absorbing passageway or muiiler unit andenters the bag. In the bag the suspended foreign material is removed andthe air itself escapes into the surrounding atmosphere. In passingthrough the muflier unit the vibrations in the air stream are eliminatedby the operation of the sound-absorbing material 24 against which thesound waves in the air have impinged.

'The pivotal movement of the handle as the cleaner is moved to and fromupon the, covering causes the bag to be flexed, particularly at itslower end where it connects to the cleaner body. As previously statedthe flexure of the bag itself is'entirely permissible for the bag ismade of a fabric but the presence of a relatively long soundabsorblngpassageway or muifler unit requires the flexible mounting thereof. Asthe bag is flexed and pulled upwardly the accordion-like element.

the air passageway element itself by the lower,

side of the bag. In both embodiments of Figures 2 and 3, however, thefunctional relationship is the same, the accordion-like tube functioningto permit the muiiier unit to adjust its angular position to conform, sofar as is necessary, to the position of the enclosing bag.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, an exhaust outlet, suction-creatingmeans to draw air through said nozzle and expel it through said outlet,a fllter bag connected to said outlet, sound-absorbing means in saidbag, and an accordion-like rubber tube flexibly mounting saidsound-absorbing means in said bag.

2. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, an exhaust outlet, suction-creatingmeans to draw air through said nozzle and expel it through said outlet,a filter bag, a ring detachably connecting said bag to said outlet,sound-absorbing means comprising sound-absorbing material in said bag,and an accordion-like rubber tube connecting said sound-absorbing meansto said ring.

3. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, an exhaust outlet, suction-creatingmeans to draw air through said nozzle and expel it through said outlet,9. filter bag connected to the exhaust outlet, sound-absorbing meansincluding a rigid metallic element and sound-absorbing materialpositioned in said bag, and a rubber accordion-like tube connectedbetween said metallic element and the exhaust outlet.

4. A removable fllter bag and sound-absorbing air passageway unit,comprising a filter bag having an inlet opening, a mounting collar atthe inlet end of said bag adapted to be secured to the port of a suctioncleaner, a sound-absorbing air passageway in said bag, and a flexibleaccordion-like rubber tube between said passageway and said collar.

5. A removable dust bag and sound-absorbing air passageway unit,comprising a dust bag having inlet and outlet openings, a securingcollar for said inlet opening adapted to mount said bag on a port of asuction cleaner, a sound-absorbing air passageway includingsound-absorbing material and a form-retaining metallic sleeve positionedin said bag and open to the inlet thereof, and an accordion-like rubbertube connecting said passageway to said collar.

6. In a suctioncleaner, a nozzle, an exhaust outlet, suction-creatingmeans to draw air through said nozzle and expel it through said outlet,a filter bag connected to said outlet, sound-absorbing means in saidbag, and an accordion-like rubber tube adapted to flex withoutalteration in its eflective cross-sectional area mounting saidsound-absorbing means in said bag.

'7. A mui'iier structure, comprising an acoustic absorption material,for the dust bag of a vacuum cleaner including a flexible tubeconnection between the muiiier elements and the dust bag collar, saidflexible tube connection having means to prevent any alteration in theeffective interior cross-sectional area of the tube when such tube isbent.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, an ambulant frame, electric motor, suction fan,suction nozzle and a dust bag. said dust bag having a mufller structurecomprising an acoustic absorption material, flexibly mounted therein bymeans of an accordion-like rubber tube.

9. A vacuum cleaner having an ambulant frame, electric motor, suctionfan, suction nozzle and a dust bag, a mufller structure, comprising anacoustic absorption material, mounted in said dust bag, and a flexibleconnection, in the form of a bellows structure, between said muiller anddust bag inlet. 7

10. A bag and muiiler construction for a vacuum cleaner of the typeincluding an ambulant frame, an electric motor, a suction nozzle, and anexhaust outlet; said construction comprising a bag, a mufller structureincluding acoustic absorption material positioned in said bag, and meansto connect said bag and muiller to the exhaust outlet of the cleanerincluding an accordion-like rubber tube flexibly supporting saidmuflier.

11. In a suction cleaner, an ambulant body, a propelling handlepivotally connected, thereto, a suction nozzle, suction-creating meansconnected thereto, an exhaust outlet to convey dirt-laden air Iromsaidmeans, a dirt-filtering bag to receive air from said outlet supported atits upper,

end by said handle, a muiller structure including an acoustic absorptionmaterial positioned within said bag, and means to connect interiorlysaid bag and muilier to said exhaust outlet to receive air therefromincluding a flexible connection in .ing means and acoustic absorptionmaterial, a

flexible connection in the form of a bellows structure between saidmufller structure and said'exhaust outlet whereby said munler structureis angularly displaceable, and a dust bag enclosing said muflier,lnteriorly connected thereto and supported at its upper end by saidhandle.

13. In a vacuum cleaner, an ambulant frame, electric motor, suction fan,suction nozzle and a dust bag, a mufiler structure, comprising anacoustic absorption material, mounted in said dust bag, and a flexibleconnection, in the form or a bellows structure, between said muiller anddust bag inlet.

DONALD. G. BLIELLIE.

